RE: better?

[Guest guest]

Jules,

I know you didn't exactly solicit this, but let me provide you with an

additional viewpoint that may clarify why people like myself who are

ignorant about cosmetic chemistry would/do like to make their own lotions.

Why we see what we make as better. For me the main reason is choice. I

get to choose what goes into it. To me a lotion is a vehicle to carry the

essential oils that I want to place on my skin. This vehicle contains oil.

I want to determine how much. I want to determine which ones. Certain

fixed oils provide additional benefits in conjunction with the essential

oils. This vehicle also contains water. I want to determine which kind.

Certain water-type ingredients can also provide additional benefits.

I want to whip up a lotion to meet the immediate need. I don't have that

choice with a commercial brand. If a commercial company offered a line of

" cafeteria " lotions I might consider buying theirs instead of making my own,

if their line used the ingredients I desired. Grant it, their texture and

appearance is probably superior to mine, but to me that is a secondary goal

after ingredients.

To summarize this, a good analogy might be a piece of fine art. Some may

view it as a way to cover a hole in their wall (a tool), where some may view

its beauty as its value. I perceive that you see the quality of a lotion as

its value, where I am merely seeing it as a tool. I will admit though, that

the texture of the test lotion I made last night was unbelievable and it did

indeed give me quite a thrill <g>.

I hope this gives you another perspective and a logical reason why some of

us are trying to do this as opposed to going with a " better " commercial

lotion.

Regards,

Gavin

<Jackie, you're gonna have to define " better " here...because that's a

rather relative term...

do you mean 'better' because homemade lotion 'feels' better on the

skin? because it works better at stopping transepidermal water loss?

because it's made with fewer ingredients? because it's made by the

'loving' (but frequently ignorant) hands of a person instead of in

huge vats by a machine??

You can probably guess that I would disagree with you on many of

these...personally, I have yet to try any handmade lotion that rivals

some of the cheapest commercial lotions around, and of the one cream

recipe I've found that I don't mind, it still doesn't hold a candle to

Glaxal Base! *g*

So in my books, where lotion is concerned, commercially prepared may

very well be " better "

Jules>